He stood so close, Babs could smell his aftershave, and as she looked up into his eyes, she realised for the first time what a good-looking man Dave Carter was. And all at once, she wondered how her life would have turned out if she’d married someone like Dave rather than Martin.
“That’s good to hear. I’m fine,” Babs said.
“I asked you to meet me here so we could have a little privacy. I wanted to ask you something.”
Babs licked her lips and nodded. She noticed that Dave’s hand was still cupping her elbow.
She nodded. “What did you want to ask?”
“I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, Babs. Least of all yours. I’ve got a lot of respect for you. The fact you are running Martin’s business hasn’t gone unnoticed. Nobody believes it’s Tony behind the wheel.”
Babs gave a little giggle and put her hand over Dave’s. “Well, it’s true. Tony does need a little bit of guidance.”
Babs felt much more relaxed now in Dave’s company. She was more than a little flattered by his compliments and was more willing to hear what he wanted to ask her now.
“The fact of the matter is, Big Tim has approached me for a job. I know he’s not been working for the Mortons for some time, but I won’t employ him if it upsets you.”
Babs blinked a couple of times. She hadn’t been expecting that. As far as she knew, Big Tim had spent the last decade drunk out of his skull.
“He’s got a booze problem,” Babs said, thinking it was only fair to warn Dave.
Dave nodded. “I’m aware of that, but I still think I can find some use for him. As long as you have no objection to that.”
Babs didn’t see the point in objecting. It wasn’t as if she wanted Big Tim to work for them. She shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with it.”
“And do you think Tony will be amenable?”
Babs gave Dave a saucy smile and squeezed his arm. “Just leave Tony to me. I know how to handle him.”
When Dave returned her smile, Babs felt butterflies in her stomach.
Dave suggested they take a walk around the boating lake and discuss a bit more business, and Babs didn’t see the harm in it, so she linked her arm through Dave’s.
He really was rather charming, and Babs found herself being swept off her feet as he escorted her around the park.
It had been so long since she’d been interested in a man.
Once she’d been smitten with Martin, but she’d soon come down to earth with a bump when she realised what he was really like. But until this moment, she’d never really missed having a man around. In Babs’ opinion, they usually turned out to be more trouble than they were worth.
With her arm linked with Dave’s, she could feel the strong muscles beneath his coat and started to think it might be nice to have a little male company now and again.
They sat down on a bench and watched a couple of small children playing with their sailboats.
As they chatted, Babs felt more and more relaxed until finally she put her hand on Dave’s knee and gave it a squeeze.
But Dave reached down and clasped her hand, taking it off his knee and putting it on her lap.
“I’m a married man, Babs.”
Babs recoiled as if he’d slapped her. The embarrassment rolled through her body like a tidal wave. Her cheeks flushed, but immediately after the first wave of embarrassment passed, it was replaced with anger.
Dave had been toying with her. She knew a flirt when she saw one.
She glared at him angrily. “And I am a married woman, Dave. I don’t know what you think I am. I was just being friendly.”
Dave gave her a knowing look and said, “Of course, you were, Babs.”
Babs gave a little growl of outrage and got to her feet. “I think we’re done here,” she said and then turned around and stalked off, clutching her fur coat tightly around her body.
How could she have been so stupid? So what if he was a good-looking man? She didn’t need any men in her life. Especially not ones like Dave Carter, who was practically a carbon copy of her monster of a husband.
She was almost out of the park when all of a sudden, Babs let out a peal of laughter, drawing shocked and disapproving looks from two mothers wheeling their prams. She’d just imagined how outraged Martin would be if he found out his wife had slept with Dave Carter.
It was a shame Dave hadn’t been up for it. It would have been worth it just to see the look on Martin’s face.
CHAPTER 16
T hat evening, Babs was still smarting from Dave Carter’s rejection as she sat in the flat upstairs over the club.
Since Martin had been locked up, his brother, Tony, had taken over the flat, and Babs looked around in distaste at the mess.
The fact that there were used plates and glasses lying on the kitchen counters only served to put Babs in more of a temper. He could have at least treated it with a little more respect. Tony Morton really didn’t understand how easy he’d had it.
Everything Martin and Babs had worked for had just fallen into Tony’s lap.
He hadn’t gone through the years of graft that Martin had. And Babs was peeved that he got to live here and enjoy the benefits of their hard work without putting in the effort.
Usually, she tried to be tactful when dealing with Tony, especially if other men were around. Male pride was a fragile thing.
There were four of them gathered in the flat tonight for a meeting. Babs and Tony along with Henry the Hand and Red-haired Freddie. The men met once or twice a week to talk about business matters, but usually, Babs wasn’t invited. This time, she had taken it upon herself to wangle an invite. She really hadn’t given Tony much choice.
Babs shot him a scornful look. He was sitting at the table, opposite her, and looking like a cowed little schoolboy. All the men looked uncomfortable, which pissed Babs off no end.
She knew more about the business, after living with Martin for so long, than any of them did. But they thought she wasn’t worth listening to because she was a woman.
She longed to impress them by revealing she’d discovered who had been cheating the club out of money and fiddling the books, but until she was a hundred percent sure, Babs had to keep quiet.
They had just spent the last ten minutes discussing something completely irrelevant, in Babs’ opinion, and she was now getting bored.
She drummed her fingernails on the table distractedly as the men droned on. But her ears pricked up when Henry the Hand said he’d found something out that might make them a bit of extra money.
Babs had been on at them for the last few weeks, telling them they needed to knuckle down and work harder. They’d been coasting for the past few years. All right, Martin’s incarceration had been a shock to everybody, and for a while, it was all they could do to try and steer the boat through those choppy waters, but now they had established their little stranglehold on the local boozers, they needed to look for more ways to bring in money.
“There’s a boxing club on Victoria Street, it backs onto the docks, and I’ve got it on good authority it’s being used as a halfway house for stolen goods.” Henry the Hand paused and waited for the news to register.
Red-haired Freddie’s eagerness was obvious. She could practically see the pound signs appear in his eyes. Tony looked reluctant, though. Tony never liked to upset the status quo. As long as enough money was coming in to keep him in girls and booze, he was happy. He had no ambition.
Babs ignored him and turned to address Henry.
“And why is this of interest to us?” Babs asked somewhat snappily.
“Well,” Henry began, talking slowly as if he was explaining to a child and not an intelligent woman who had lived with Martin Morton all these years. “We might take a piece of the action. They are operating on the edge of our turf, and as such, I reckon we should get a cut.”
“I don’t know,” Tony said. “Is it really worth the bother? You said it was just a load of old antique stuff.”
Hen
ry nodded. “That’s what I heard. But it’s attracted a bit of interest, and the chap in charge, Gregory Patterson, has been throwing his money around a bit recently, so he must be doing all right out of it.”
Babs watched as the three men discussed the matter in front of her, not once asking her opinion. They had no idea how much power she really held.
Tony was a wimp. He kept saying it wasn’t worth the risk.
Freddie was more interested. According to him, the Pattersons weren’t a big deal. Security was light, and he believed they could get a cut of Gregory’s profits in exchange for protection. If they’d heard about it, it wouldn’t be long before other people did, too. He believed they should take a cut before someone else got in on the action.
Round and round they went, arguing left, right and centre. And all the time, Babs remained quiet. After another ten minutes, she said, “Listen up, boys, I’ve made a decision.”
Her gaze clashed with Tony’s as she dared him to contradict her, and she had to stifle a smile at the shocked look on Tony’s face.
“Yes, I don’t see why we shouldn’t get a piece of the pie for ourselves, Henry. As Freddie said, we can offer them protection, so it’s not as if we are looking to get something for nothing. Besides, they are operating on our turf, so they need to pay our taxes. Isn’t that right, Tony?”
Tony blinked a couple of times and looked at the other men, obviously wanting one of them to contradict Babs.
But Henry and Freddie stayed quiet. They understood their places in the firm.
“Babs,” Tony began, his voice dripping with charm. “It’s not quite as simple as just walking in there and demanding some money.”
“Of course, it is,” Babs said.
The charming smile slid from Tony’s face. “I think this would be a mistake. Yes, we’re doing all right at the moment, but we don’t have the same power we had when Martin was still around. We don’t want to start any wars.”
“We are not as powerful as we were when Martin was around because nobody is showing any balls, Tony. It looks like none of you men are going to step up, so it will have to be me.”
Red-haired Freddie stifled a laugh, and Tony turned pale.
“That ain’t fair, Babs.”
“Life ain’t fair. You had your chance, Tony, but we are losing money left, right and centre, and I am not going to stand by and let that happen. For a start, Henry and Freddie can approach Patterson’s boxing club and find out more about this little stolen goods racket he has running, and then we can turn this firm around, so that when Martin does come out, he has a thriving enterprise waiting for him.”
The men seemed too shocked to reply, so Babs stood up and gave them all a cool smile.
She picked up her handbag. “If that’s all, gentlemen, it’s late, so I’ll take my leave. See you all tomorrow.”
She stalked out of the flat as the men murmured their goodbyes.
She’d certainly set the cat among the pigeons tonight. Maybe she played her hand too soon, but Dave Carter’s behaviour this afternoon had triggered something in Babs. She didn’t appreciate being treated like a fool, and she was determined to show the East End exactly what she was made of.
CHAPTER 17
Bright and early on Saturday morning, Mary took Jimmy on the bus and headed out to Romford.
Jimmy was full of beans. He couldn’t wait to see his Auntie Bev again. Though she wasn’t his real auntie, Jimmy didn’t know any better and loved her as if she was.
After Jimmy had been born, Mary had faced a very difficult decision. With her daughter murdered in cold blood and dumped in the canal, Mary thought she would be left to bring up her grandson alone, but when she had a visit from Big Tim, one of Martin Morton’s scariest henchmen, she’d realised that Jimmy wasn’t safe, and so she’d shipped him off to Bev, one of her oldest friends, who now lived in Romford.
Bev had a charming little bungalow with roses round the door and a winding path that led up to the front door. The back garden was at least ten times as big as Mary’s backyard, and Jimmy was in his element when he was allowed to play out there.
It looked like it was going to be a lovely sunny day, and Mary expected Jimmy to spend most of the day in the garden, allowing her time to catch up with Bev.
She enjoyed a natter about the good old days.
When they arrived at Bev’s bungalow, she was overjoyed to see them. She smiled and scooped Jimmy up in a big hug.
When she raised her eyes and looked at Mary, she smothered a gasp and put a hand against her mouth.
“Good grief, Mary. Have you been ill?”
Mary felt a spark of outrage. She knew she didn’t look her best at the moment, and that was probably down to the booze, but like any woman, she didn’t appreciate being told she looked rough.
She opened her mouth to make a sharp retort but then swallowed the nasty words on the tip of her tongue. Bev was only concerned about her after all. She was a dear friend.
“I’m all right, love. It’s just been a difficult couple of months.”
Mary noticed that Jimmy was watching this conversation with avid interest. He was too sharp for his own good. Those big, blue eyes of his never missed a trick.
Bev followed Mary’s gaze and realised she didn’t want to talk in front of Jimmy, so she waved them inside and began to tell Jimmy all about the cakes she’d bought for their tea.
When they’d sent Jimmy off to play in the garden, Mary eased herself down into one of Bev’s comfortable armchairs and sighed.
She looked around the pretty little bungalow and felt a pang of envy.
Bev had really done well for herself. They’d been brought up in the same neighbourhood and even raised their children together, but after Bev’s daughter died, Bev and her husband had decided to make the move to Essex, and poor old Fred had died not long afterwards leaving everything to Bev.
It was hard not to compare Mary’s pokey little terraced house to this beautiful bungalow.
She wished she had made the move years ago, but now she couldn’t bring herself to leave the East End as that would mean leaving behind all the memories of her daughter.
As the two women chatted away, Mary felt herself relax. It felt good to be in the company of an old friend.
* * *
Outside, Jimmy had already climbed to the top of his favourite tree — an old gnarled apple tree. He’d inspected some of the fruit, but it would take another couple of months before it was properly ripe.
He took a peek behind the hawthorn hedge and saw a small bird’s nest. He crept around the side of the house, pretending he was a soldier in the jungle, creeping up on the enemy. As he got closer to the bungalow, he heard the voices of his nan and auntie drifting out of the open sitting room window.
He didn’t mean to eavesdrop, and he would have walked away but for the fact he heard them mention his mother.
He moved closer to the house until he was crouching directly below the window.
* * *
Inside, Bev asked, “Have you told Jimmy about Kathleen?”
She asked Mary the same question on every visit. Mary sighed. When she’d come to collect Jimmy from Bev, five years ago, she’d informed her friend she was going to tell Jimmy everything and rely on him to get revenge for his mother.
Bev thought that was a terrible idea, and she never missed an opportunity to tell Mary so.
Although Mary’s grief hadn’t lessened over the years, she had been able to see a little more clearly, and she understood that Jimmy had his own life to live. If there was one thing she could do for her daughter now, it was to make sure her little boy didn’t have a bitter, unhappy childhood.
Mary shook her head. “He knows his mother was murdered. I couldn’t exactly hide that from him. He’s ten years old now, Bev. At school, everybody knows, so there was no point trying to keep it from him.”
Bev nodded. “That’s why I thought it was better for him to stay in Romford. It’s a fresh start, and he does
n’t have the past hanging over his head.”
Those words got Mary’s back up. Bev was a kind woman. She had been there for Mary and Jimmy in a very difficult time, but Jimmy was Mary’s grandson, and he was her responsibility.
“You know how I feel about that, Bev,” Mary said, her voice sharp.
Bev got up to pour more tea into each of their cups. “I know he’s your grandson, Mary, and you should be the one to bring him up. But hear me out. Why don’t you and Jimmy move down here together? I’ve got a three-bedroom bungalow. It will be a bit of a squeeze, but we could make it work.”
Mary pursed her lips and shook her head. She’d explained to Bev before how she couldn’t even consider leaving the East End. “I can’t move away, Bev. I do appreciate the offer, though.”
Bev nodded as if she’d expected that answer. “Fair enough, love. But the offer is still open if you change your mind.”
* * *
Outside in the garden, Jimmy was thinking about what he had just overheard. He knew his mother had been murdered, but he didn’t know the whole story. That much was obvious. What had Bev been referring to? Perhaps she was talking about Jimmy’s father.
He’d asked his nan about his father before, and when he was younger, she’d told him he had been killed in an accident at work before he and Jimmy’s mother could get married.
He asked more questions as he got older, but his nan would get irritated and snap at him every time he brought the subject of his father up. In the end, Jimmy had stopped trying. But if Bev had known his father, maybe he could find out more from her.
CHAPTER 18
Spending Saturday evening having dinner at her parents’ house wasn’t exactly Linda’s idea of fun. It had taken her over an hour of nagging to persuade Geoff to come along as well.
Usually, Linda turned down her parent’s dinner invitations, but she hadn’t been able to get out of this one. Her brother was getting married next month, and her mother had insisted on a family dinner to discuss the arrangements.
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